God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Ps. 46:1)
When I was a child, I had my tonsils taken out. Afterward it felt like knives were cutting my throat. I was in a ward with five other children, all of whom were losing their last meal. Not me. I was screaming, “I want my daddy!” He worked in a coalmine, a good hour from where I was. He got the message, and I instantly calmed down when he walked into the hospital room. The knives were still in my throat, but I was safe: Daddy was there.
We have a heavenly Father who shows up instantly when we call. When our child dies, when someone destroys us with words, when our marriage vows are broken or we hear the cancer diagnosis, we crumble under the weight of the pain, but then . . . we feel a presence. It’s our Father, our heavenly Father, who promises refuge, strength, and help. He never fails to appear.
Grief may consume us, pain may suffocate us, heartache may overwhelm us, but then, he cries with us, feels our pain, and lifts our head so we can see him. We don’t need to wonder if he will come because he’s promised to be our ever-present God. The knives may still cut our throats, but calmness floods our soul—when the Father walks in!
Invite our ever-present God into your pain.
Pamela J. Kuhn’s favorite word is joy and her favorite place is anywhere that holds books and sells tea. Her husband, R. B., is an associate professor at Indiana Wesleyan University.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
